14 DECEMBER
In Music History
1970 John Lennon's "Instant Karma!" is certified Gold.
1969 The Jackson 5 make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, where they perform their debut Motown single "I Want You Back."
1968 Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" hits #1 in the US, where it stays for seven weeks. The song was recorded by a few different Motown acts before a version by Gladys Knight & the Pips was finally released, reaching #2 in 1967. Gaye's version, released about a year later, became an even bigger hit and the definitive rendition.
1968 Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is certified Gold.
1968 Tommy James and the Shondells release "Crimson and Clover."
1967 Dick Clark announces that he's filming a movie about hippies, The Love Children, starring Jack Nicholson and Dean Stockwell and featuring the music of Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Seeds.
1966 Chad & Jeremy are guest stars on the TV show Batman.
1964 In spite of (or, perhaps, because of) being banned by some radio stations, The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" hits #2 on the Hot 100 (held off the top spot by The Singing Nun's "Dominique").
1963 Dinah Washington dies of an accidental barbiturate overdose at age 39.
1959 The Ohio State University Research Center issues a report showing that rock and roll is the overwhelming favorite music of people aged 14-18. However, most over the age of eighteen who were polled considered it their least favorite form of music.
1959 Guy Mitchell's "Heartaches by the Number" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.
1958 Mike Scott (lead singer for The Waterboys) is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1958 Peter "Spider" Stacy (vocalist, tin whistler The Pogues) is born in Eastbourne, London, England.
1949 Cliff Williams (bassist for AC/DC) is born in Romford, Essex, England.
1946 Joyce Vincent Wilson (of Tony Orlando and Dawn) is born in Detroit, Michigan.
Saturday Night Fever Boogies Into Theaters
1977At the peak of the disco era, the film Saturday Night Fever opens in theaters. The soundtrack contains two previous #1 hits and four new ones.
Read more14 DECEMBER
Featured Events
1999 In a much-publicized show, Paul McCartney returns to play the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time since 1963. Joining him are Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Deep Purple's Ian Paice. Only about 300 watch from the club, but another 4,000 or so see it simulcast on big screens at a nearby park, and many more watch a webcast of the show, which is likely the most-watched internet event in history at this point (reporting is far from reliable).
1980 At Yoko Ono's request, a 10-minute worldwide silent vigil takes place at 2:00 p.m. EST for John Lennon, who was shot and killed six days earlier. Lennon was cremated without a funeral, so the vigil is the public outpouring of support and mourning. A large crowd gathers in Central Park near where Lennon lived with Yoko to take part; this becomes a tradition on each anniversary of Lennon's death.
1978 Billy Joel plays Madison Square Garden for the first time, which growing up he considered a "temple." He later becomes the first musical act to hold residency at the Garden.
1968 Motown acts hold the top three spots on the Hot 100: 1) "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye 2) "Love Child" by The Supremes 3) "For Once In My Life" by Stevie Wonder The chart stays the same the next week, and a week later Stevie and The Supremes trade positions.
©2024 Songfacts®, LLC